Miss Heather Cleland, Director, Victorian Adult Burns Service, The Alfred
Tissue donation can both enhance and save lives.
A skin graft can mean the difference between life and death for a patient who has suffered serious and life threatening burns.
Story: The life-saving gift of skin for burns victims.
Donated human heart valves can mean the world to a family who would otherwise be facing the death of a loved one. Donated heart valves are used to repair congenital defects in babies who could die without surgery and to replace diseased aortic valves in adults.
Story: The heart of the matter
Bones and tendons (musculoskeletal tissues) can restore mobility and quality of life for patients via reconstructive orthapaedic surgery such as people suffering from non-healing fractures or those requiring bone replacement after tumour removal and can sometimes mean the difference between keeping or losing a limb.
Story: “Thank you for the best gift I’ve ever had”
Corneas can restore sight in those with conditions such as kerataconus which is a condition where young people’s corneas warp out of shape and cause extremely blurry vision.
Story: The precious gift of sight.
The Donor Tissue Bank of Victoria offers relatives and loved ones the opportunity to salvage something positive from the tragedy of the loss of someone they loved.
Story: ‘Someone else can use something from a tragedy.’
The DTBV also provides a Living Donor Bone Program whereby people undergoing routine hip replacement can donate for transplant, the otherwise discarded bone removed during the surgery.
